Wednesday 23 November 2011

The Grape Vine


Wine is a huge part of the South African culture and I have really became consumed in it, from the reds to the whites and even the sparkling. Wine tasting has become a hobbie rather than a pass time. I have always had a secrect love for wine, but now I truely understand the logistics behind it. I went on my first wine tasting experience in Stellenbosch at the start of the year. The Devon Valley Detour is a tasting experience offered by the company I work for. It consists of tastings at J.C. Le Roux, MiddleVlei, Clos Malverne and the Devon Valley Hotel. The tastings were lovely and the wines were exceptional, especially the sparklings wines at the house of J.C. Le Roux. If you have never been there before I highly recommend it, they offer numerous tastings including a nougat, sorbet, marshmallow and meringue pairing.

J.C. Le Roux


 Clos Malverne


Middelvlei



The Stellenbosch Wine Festival was also one of the highlights of my year. We arrived late on the day so it was a race to try the best wines, some were stunning and easy to drink and others just tasted like cat pee. My love for white wine was evidant on this day, especially the Sauvignon Blanc wines.

I recently went to the launch of the new Ghost Tree Sauvignon Blanc wine at The Devon Valley Hotel, we also had the pleasure of trying their other award wining wines. Each wine was paired with a canapĂ© which complimented the wine. The SylvanVale Cabernet Sauvignon is also one of my favourites. After the launch we headed to Fairview Wine Estate for a cheese and wine pairing, they have some amazing wines and the estate itself is quite beautiful.

The Devon Valley Hotel



Fairview Wine Estate: 



The company I am currently working for owns a wine farm so I do many of the fact sheets, brochures and wine label designs for them. I have learnt amazing things like how the wine is made, the difference between wooded and unwooded wines and the importance of knowing what pairing best accompanies the wine.

The first wine label I did was for an in-house wine called Butchers Block Red. It is a blend and is served at the Skelligs Restaurant at Erinvale Estate Hotel & Spa in Somerset West. The brief indicted that I should design something bold with an antique feel to it. The design was printed on regular paper and a spot varnish was put on the black areas on the front of the label:


The Ghost Tree Sauvignon wine was cultivated and bottle for sales purposes. It will be sold on a small scale, it is a lovely wine and one of my favorites from SylvanVale. The brief indicated that I design something simplistic and elegant to match the stature of white wine. This is the final design, I am very happy with how this label turned out. The design was printed on a textured white paper with a high build varnish finish.



Wine is has been around since the start of time, it is perfect for any day of the week. It helps relieve the stress of a long day at work and it allows for the perfect start to the weekend.

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